Monday, 4/12/21: Talking about 27 things learned by 27
Happy Monday!
It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter. Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.
Three Steps to a Happier Monday
Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.
Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend?
Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?
Step 3: What is my intention for this week?
GRATITUDE: From my weekend, I am thankful for my friends in Chicago, getting to connect with so many people I love on my birthday, and a fun day off work Friday.
TODAY: After a rainy weekend, what I’m most excited for today is being able to run outside before work.
INTENTION: My intention this week is to reach out to one friend or loved one each day.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: 27 Lessons Learned
I turned 27 yesterday! I’m not sure if anyone else with a birthday in March or April feels this way, but it feels kinda strange to be celebrating another birthday within the pandemic.
Things are definitely different than April of last year (for example, I’m currently writing this while enjoying the ambiance of a restaurant, which I wasn’t able to do a year ago), and I do have a lot of hope about the progress we’re making, but I’ve still experienced mixed feelings as I’ve reflected on the past year.
So, in an effort to have some fun and take the pressure off of focusing just on the past year, I wanted to see if I could come up with a list of 27 things I’ve learned/am still learning at age 27. The exercise ended up being so fun that I deiced to share my list here this morning. There’s absolutely nothing about the information below that’s groundbreaking and many are things I’m still working to remember myself, but nonetheless, I thought it would be fun to share and hear your thoughts. So, tell me: what’s one thing you wish you would’ve known at 27? Or, what’s one thing you hope to know at 27?
27 Things I’ve Learned by 27:
- Say yes often. Especially try to say yes when it’s someone asking you to do something for the first time. (Often if you say no, they won’t ask again.)
- Before leaving a room, take a moment to think if there’s any small task you can do for “future you.” Future you will be so glad you took 30 seconds to hang up the coat, refill the water bottle or take out the trash.
- Be the friend you want to have. Don’t wait for a friend to call you, ask you to do something or send a text. Show up first as the friend you want to have.
- In college, I was extremely focused on avoiding any risks that might impact by GPA. And while GPA is certainly importantly, I wish I would’ve also focused on my curiosity and collecting as much knowledge as I could.
- Your brain will respond to whatever you are feeding it. Even after school, you can continue to learn and expand your thinking with the content with choose to consume.
- There’s more feelings than just feeling happy or feeling sad.
- Speaking of feelings, feeling anything other than happy isn’t bad. Most of the time, it’s an indicator. Just as being thirsty signals you haven’t had enough water that day, feeling something can be a signal that a “temperature check” on yourself is needed.
- Unfollow your ex. Just do it. Social posts have a way of popping up at the most unexpected times and derailing however you were feeling before.
- Find ways to love some aspects of your job. You don’t have to over-glamorize it or feel like you’re your settling, but if you are going to be spending so much time on something, it doesn’t hurt to find some things to enjoy.
- Perfecting the art of the “Irish goodbye” is one of the best life skills.
- When other people are sad or upset, often the best thing you can do is just sit with them among the mess instead of trying to jump in and fix it.
- There is a difference between being by yourself and feeling lonely. Pay attention to what or who makes you feel lonely.
- Don’t underestimate the power and clarity that can come with a good night’s sleep.
- Set a reminder or get in the habit of taking time to recognize what’s going right. It’s so easy to focus on what’s going wrong or what needs fixing that we often don’t take time to appreciate what is working out.
- You don’t need that last drink.
- As my favorite Irish proverb says, “what’s meant for you won’t pass you by.”
- It takes more effort, but you will likely feel better if you put down the phone and pick up the book (or sketchbook or journal, etc.).
- It can be uncomfortable at first but figuring out a system for managing daily finances in a way that feels good to you can be so helpful.
- You will learn so much about yourself from the experience of living alone.
- Physical clutter is mental clutter.
- Frozen vegetables can be just as good as fresh vegetables and a whole lot cheaper.
- You are the five people you surround yourself with. This applies to people in your life and the content you consume.
- Journaling is a free, accessible and powerful way to move through many different kinds of emotions. Set a timer for 30 minutes and just start writing.
- Ask your grandparents and parents to tell as many stories as possible. Stories are easy to remember and make for amazing memories.
- Things that go wrong often make the best memories. When things don’t go according to plan, take a second and remember that one day in the future, you’ll probably laugh about this.
- When getting brewed coffee at a coffee shop, always ask for a “small in a medium cup.” More often than not, you’ll get more than you paid for.
- Find a good tailor. Properly fitting clothes can be a gamechanger.
On My Monday Radar
Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:
- The surprising power of a “joy manicure.” Inspired by this article, I decided to treat myself to my version of a “joy manicure” for my birthday. Taking advantage of the fact that I’m still working from home (no one is seeing my nails on video calls!), I decided to have a bit of fun and get my nails painted varying shades of pink. “Joy manicure” is the perfect term because I’ve smiled each time I’ve seen my nails! 😊
- Enjoyed this article about trusting yourself. As the article acknowledges, trusting yourself is hard work, but I thought the tips within about how to make it easier were helpful.
- This eggplant lasagna recipe looks really good! Bookmarking this recipe for this weekend. It definitely looks like a recipe that will take some time and commitment, but the end result looks deliciously rewarding.
- Have any budgeting tips to share? As a reminder the second installment of the Lighter + Brighter series is all about budgeting. So, all month I’ll be collecting anonymous tips, tricks or favorite resources on how to bring more lightness and brightness to the topic of budgeting to be shared in the newsletter on the last Monday in April. If you are so inclined to share, feel free to submit anonymously here. Can’t wait to hear from you!
That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this!
Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan
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